Bhopal, July 28: A local court in Gwalior pronounced a judgement in a rape case within a span of 36 days after the heinous crime was committed. Jitendra Kushwaha, a 25-year-old ice-cream seller, was awarded death penalty on Thursday for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl on June 20.

The convict, an ice-cream seller, lured the girl to an isolated place after he saw her at a wedding. The child's body was found two days later - on June 22 - on a hillock with her face crushed with a stone in a bid to hide her identity.

Autopsy report confirmed that the child was raped before being murdered.

Kushwaha was nabbed after police analysed the CCTV footage of the wedding which the deceased's parents attended on June 20. Based on the CCTV grab, the convict was identified and apprehended on June 22.

The charge sheet was filed by the police on July 2, with the trial beginning on July 12. The hearing was completed within 13 days. The court on Thursday pronounced death penalty for Kushwaha under the amended POCSO Act.

A similar case of swift justice was reported from Katni town of Madhya Pradesh, where an auto-driver who raped a five-year-old girl was convicted within 24 days of commiting the crime. While the sexual assault was perpetrated in July 4, the police caught hold of him within a couple of days and filed a chargesheet on July 12. On July 27, th court reportedly sentenced him to death.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2018 03:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).